Stages, Periods, and Radiocarbon: 14C Dating in the Archaeology of the Central Andes

Some of the earliest archaeological materials radiocarbon-dated were from the Central Andes, and archaeologists from the region were also involved in early efforts at meta-analysis of assemblages of radiocarbon dates and Bayesian chronological modeling. Nevertheless, regional chronological schema still vary surprisingly little from their pre-radiocarbon antecedents. As a result, significant scope for increasing the impact of radiocarbon dates, as well as making their use more robust and transparent, remains. Improved use of radiocarbon dates has the potential to reconfigure Central Andean chronologies, suiting them better to addressing many of the questions that archaeologists wish to ask. With this in mind, I here review the history of use of C-14 dating in the archaeology of the Central Andes, before focusing on practical issues that confront archaeologists working in the region as they both employ C-14 dates and seek to be informed and critical consumers of published C-14 dates and chronologies.